6: 00 a. m. ET — Daylight saving time started on Sunday, March 8, 2026, when clocks moved forward at 2 a. m. local time, confirmed by published federal time references. What remains unresolved is whether federal action will permit states to make the change permanent; that question will be decided only if Congress or another federal body acts.
Sunrise Shift Confirmed by National Weather Service Example in Boston
CONFIRMED FACT: The clock move produced measurable changes in morning light. The National Weather Service lists sunrise in Boston at 6: 09 a. m. on the Saturday before the change and at 7: 08 a. m. on Sunday after clocks jumped ahead, and sunset moved from 5: 41 p. m. to 6: 42 p. m. that same comparison. Most of the U. S. lost an hour overnight when clocks jumped from 2 a. m. to 3 a. m., and daylight saving time will be in effect for 238 days this year, per the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
At Least 19 States Have Passed Laws; Congress’ Approval Is Unconfirmed
UNCONFIRMED as of 6: 00 a. m. ET: Whether those state laws will let individual states remain on daylight saving time permanently. INITIAL REPORTS indicate at least 19 states have passed measures that would keep them on daylight saving time if the federal government allows it. Opinions on that path are sharply divided; some advocates favor permanent daylight saving time while others back year-round standard time, and the political moves needed to change the system have not succeeded.
Transportation Department, Energy Department and Congressional Research Service Findings on Energy and Health Effects
CONFIRMED FACT: Federal reviews and historical records show limited and mixed effects from shifting clocks. The Transportation Department concluded in 1974 that the year-round experiment had minimal benefits for energy conservation and traffic safety, and the Energy Department found a 0. 03% drop in electricity consumption after the 2007 start-date change. The Congressional Research Service documents that daylight saving time was first adopted in 1918 and was used again during World War II.
Still, UNCONFIRMED as of 6: 00 a. m. ET: the overall public-health trade-offs remain unsettled. The time change has been associated with some negative health effects in federal analyses and media coverage, but whether those effects would increase or decrease under a permanent daylight saving time regime versus permanent standard time has not been resolved by federal legislation or a single national determination.
CONFIRMED NEXT EVENT: Most Americans are scheduled to revert to standard time at 2: 00 a. m. ET on Nov. 1, the first Sunday of November. CONDITIONAL: If Congress changes federal law to permit states to remain on daylight saving time, the at least 19 states that passed measures would be able to stay on daylight saving time instead of falling back on Nov. 1.
